Re: How to Make Chicken Cacciatore (was: phonetics by guesswork)

On Fri, Jul 16, 2004 at 01:03:51PM -0700, Philippe Caquant wrote:
> --- Christophe Grandsire > > > (BTW, French would
> rather pronounce "Bach" as
> > [snip]
> >
> Not at all. The problem is not that there may be
> different way for Germans to pronounce "Bach". The
> problem comes from the fact that French journalists
> are illiterate, and haven't the faintest idea about
> whatever possible pronunciation for "Bach". Or maybe
> they have no ears at all. This is something completely
> different.
>
> Please note that in grammars, you normally can read at
> least two examples in two different foreign languages
> about the pronunciation of Russian "x". That's why I
> mentioned "like j in navaja or like ch in Bach" (one
> might probably add Arabic examples too). But if
> somebody wants to learn Russian and you explain him
> that "x" is an uvular cacciatorive, ehm, I mean
> fricative, or an epiglottal bilabial thrill, you may
> be right (or not), but you usually won't help him to
> go one inch further.
I think not. An uneducated heathen would unlikely touch a _grammar_. (A
textbook is more likely, which I expect wouldn't be too technical.)
The problem is thus not strictly restricted to French journalists and
their illiteracy, but also includes the heathen masses who have
never bothered studying phonetics even for the briefest moment.
At least they should include the "uvular cacciatorive" descriptions for
those who _do_ know what the fuck is going on. ;)

>
> =====
> Philippe Caquant
>
> "High thoughts must have high language." (Aristophanes, Frogs)
--
vehke.